Miele S5 Canister Vacuum Series
The S5 or S5000 series Miele canister vacuum include the best Miele canister vacuum cleaners. The S5 is a full sized canister vacuum series. Which model makes the most sense for you really depends on what kind of carpet you have in your home and whether or not you have to contend with pet hair. The better S5 Miele vacuums are ideal for mid to large households that include pets, heavy foot traffic, residents with allergies and or asthma and all types of carpet height and hard surface flooring. The S5 canister vacuums series is larger and includes the best features Miele includes in a canister vacuum cleaner.
Currently the Miele S5 canister vacuum cleaner series includes the following models:
- S5981 Capricorn
- S5481 Earth
- S5381 Leo
- S5381 Gemini
- S5281 Callisto
- S5281 Libra
- S5281 Pisces
- S5211 Ariel
Miele S5 SHARED Features
Motor - Regardless or price all Miele S5000 series canister feature the 1200-watt, high-output Miele-made Vortex motor system.
Sealed System Construction - When you operate most vacuum cleaners they typically will leak out air before is passed thru the full filtration process. Miele S5 canister are made to avoid this type of leak, cleaning the air as you vacuum. This is an extremely important feature for households that have a member who has allergies or asthma as it greatly reduces allergens and dust from being released back into the environment you are trying to clean.
4.76 quart bags - The Miele GN bag is the largest size dust bag Miele makes for canister models. The Miele AirClean bag is made of a special material to avoid tearing and provide maxium filtration during operation. It also has a spring-loaded, self-sealing collar to keep bag changes as neat and clean as possible. A large capacity bag means the bag will not need to be changed as often.
Suction Controls - The type of suction control varies from vacuum to vacuum but they all provide the user with the ability to reduce or increase the suction of the vacuum cleaner during operation.
Warranty - 7 year warranty on the canister vacuum cleaner motor.
Dimensions - S5 full sized canister vacuums are share the following dimension: Height: 8.25", Width: 10", Length: 19"
Other common features standard to the S5000 series include:
- Integrated vacuum cleaning accessories
- A 33 foot operating radius
- Vacuum Bag indicator alert
- Filter grill
- Filter indicator
- Overheating lamp
- Safety shut-off on overheating
- Silence insulation
CONSUMER ALERT - MIELE S5 TIP: The mid sized powerhead is second rate compared to the full sized powerhead that Miele makes. Its good but not nearly as good as the full sized powerhead when it comes to cleaning mid to higher carpet or in homes with pets. Most online stores list Miele S5 canister vacuums with the smaller head because the price is lower and they are trying to catch your eye or avoid being the store with the higher prices. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS buy the best powerbrush available for a Miele S5 canister if you have pets or mid to high pile carpeting in your home. There are typically 2 sizes of powerbrush for Miele - a full sized and a mid size. The full sized is more powerful and durable. It will absolutely clean your carpet better than the mid sized. The full sized brush is Miele model SEB236. It makes absolutely NO sense whatsoever to pay 800 to 1200 dollars for a canister vacuum that has almost all of the best feature available and then only opt for the second best powerbrush. If the carpet in your home does not require the strength of a full sized powerhead then the lower priced Miele S5 models will more than suffice. The Miele SEB228 is also a full sized heavy duty powerbrush. It comes with the Callisto be default. We have also notice Miele including with some of the models you can only find in stores. It seems like Miele is moving toward including a heavy duty powerhead with the S5 canisters that have an electric hose.
The Quick Miele S5 Vacuum Review
All of the Miele S5 canister vacuums are extremely easy to navigate during operation. Castor wheels allow the vacuum to be maneuvered laterally to some degree. Most of the other canister vacuum brands have what we call wagon wheels on the back and the user eventually ends up jerking the vacuum into a more favorable position. Miele S5 canisters are extremely quiet during operation and they are HEPA vacuums. Not just a vacuum with a HEPA filter but HEPA vacuums. Emissions are minimal. All of the S5 canister bodies are rugged, easy to use, have a lot of suction and will outclean just about about any other residential canister vacuum cleaner. But your gonnna pay $$$. Price is really the only con but you are getting quality for your money. Be aware of why some models cost more or less than others.
Now we will explain the individual features of each of the S5 Miele canister series starting from the highest priced model. It is important as a consumer to decide whether or not you would utilize the features that seperate each model because more features means a higher cost of ownership.
Miele Capricorn Canister
The Capricorn S5981 is the same as the S5980 Capricorn with the exception of a color change. The Miele Capricorn has a vacuum hose that features a deluxe handle grip. The suction of the canister can be manipulated from the actual vacuum cleaner hose. The powerbrush can also be turned on or off from the hose. This is the only full sized deluxe Miele canister that offers its user finger tip controls.
The Capricorn comes with an Active HEPA filter to provide user with the best filtration Miele offers. It also comes with a Parquet Twister brush for cleaning smooth surface floors, a telescopic wand, and an electric powerbrush for carpet. The Capricorn has what we would call the most deluxe features when compared to other S5 Miele canister vacuums. It is priced at approximately 1200 dollars with the full sized electric powerbrush. With the full sized powerbrush the Capricorn can be used on low thru high pile carpet and all smooth surface floors effectively. The Capricorn was silver but newer models will what Miele refers to as a midnight purple pearl.
Miele Earth
The Miele Earth canister vacuum has automatic power settings that will automatically adjust as you vacuum. The S 5481 Earth canister vac also has electronic power setting on the body of the canister which can overide the automatically settings with the vacuum output ranging from 300 watts all the way up to full power which is 12 watts.
The Miele Earth like the Capricorn includes an Active HEPA filter to clean vacuum exhaust in the most effective manner posible. It also comes with a twisting Parquet floor brush for smooth surface floors.
Miele Leo and Miele Gemini
The S5381 Miele Leo and the S5381 Miele Gemini canister vacuum cleaners allow the user to control the suction from the body of the canister. Like the Earth canister the suction controls range from 300 to 1200 watts of power. Like the models above you can electronically manipulate the suction of the vacuum. If you do not feel that this is something you require automatically set or that you need to control from your vacuum hose than the Leo or Gemini will still provide you with the same cleaning performance as the Capricorn and Earth and they can cost a little bit less. Both the Leo and the Gemini come equipped with a HEPA filter, twisting Parquet floor brush for hard floors. These 2 vacuums can cost about 1000 dollars each and have received a lot of positive reviews from consumers on sites like amazon and epinions.
Miele Callisto and Miele Libra
The Libra and Callisto both share the S5281 Miele model number. They both have a rotary dial on the body of the canister vacuum which has 6 settings to change the amount of suction the canister vacuum produces during operation. The Callisto however comes with an outstanding Powerbrush for carpet cleaning by default. The Callisto was also a former Consumers Best Buy winner and has garnered outstanding reviews around the internet. The Callisto probably is the best miele canister vacuum for the money if you have a home with a lot of carpet and pets. It can clean all surfaces effectively and has all of the best Miele features with the exception being that the suction is controlled by a dial on the body of the canister. Most people who vacuum keep the suction on the highest setting possible on wall to wall carpet and smooth surface floors anyway. This is one of the models we recommend to friends and family when asked which canister vacuums are the best.
Miele Pisces and Miele Ariel
The S 5281 Pisces and S 5211 Ariel canister by Miele are the 2 lowest priced models in the S5000 series. They cost less because they have non electic hoses and attachments. A powerbrush is powered by the suction of the vacuum. While both are both very high in quality in terms of suction, filtration and design the Ariel and Pisces are only for homes clean low pile and hard floors in our opinion. If you have a pet or a lot of tightly woven or thick carpet then you should be looking at one of the models above with an electric hose and electric powerbrush. For mid to large homes with a lot of hard surface floors and limited amounts of rugs and carpet or low pile carpet, either one of these vacuums make a lot of more sense than the models above for a consumer since you will not be paying for vacuum features you do not really need.